Most founders have heard of Y Combinator. Fewer know that the federal government runs a $4 billion annual grant program for startups, or that Verizon quietly gives away $10,000 grants every quarter, or that there's a grant specifically for women founders that pays out $10,000 every single month.
Grants are the most founder-friendly capital available — no equity, no repayment, no board seats, no cap table complexity. The problem isn't that grants don't exist. It's that they're scattered across government portals, corporate CSR pages, foundation websites, and state economic development offices. Finding the right ones takes longer than applying to them.
We track every open startup grant in the US so you don't have to. This guide covers what's available right now in 2026, organized by type — federal, state, corporate, and demographic-specific — with real deadlines, real eligibility criteria, and direct application links.
Federal grants: the biggest checks with the longest runways
Federal grants are the largest source of non-dilutive startup funding in the US. They take longer to apply for and have stricter requirements, but the payoffs are significant — some programs fund startups through multiple phases totaling over $2 million.
SBIR and STTR (America's Seed Fund)
The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are the cornerstone of federal startup funding. After a five-month lapse when the programs expired in September 2025, Congress reauthorized SBIR/STTR in early 2026 through fiscal year 2031 under the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act.
Key date: President Trump signed the reauthorization into law on April 13, 2026. Agencies are now reopening solicitations — check SBIR.gov for the latest from each agency.
How it works: Eleven federal agencies (including DoD, NIH, NSF, DOE, and NASA) set aside a portion of their R&D budgets for small business grants. Phase I awards typically range from $50,000 to $275,000 for proof of concept. Phase II awards range from $500,000 to $2 million for full development. Some agencies offer a Phase III pathway for commercialization.
Who qualifies: US-based small businesses with fewer than 500 employees conducting R&D. Your technology needs to align with the specific agency's mission. STTR requires a formal partnership with a research institution.
What's different after reauthorization: The 2026 act raises funding set-aside percentages over time, strengthens commercialization requirements, and adds new oversight provisions.
View SBIR/STTR on Startup Map →
NSF I-Corps
The National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps program provides $50,000 grants to teams commercializing university-based research. Since launch, I-Corps has funded over 1,400 teams that have collectively raised $3.16 billion in follow-on funding.
Who qualifies: Teams with at least one technical lead from a university or research institution. The focus is on customer discovery — you'll interview 100+ potential customers during the program.
Beyond the $50,000, I-Corps teaches you whether your research has a real market. Many founders credit the program with saving them years of building something nobody wanted.
Corporate grants: faster applications, fewer strings
Corporate grants typically offer smaller amounts than federal programs but with simpler applications and faster decisions. Many don't require you to be incorporated for a specific length of time.
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready
- Amount: $10,000 national grants; additional $5,000 state grants (California, New York, West Virginia confirmed for 2026)
- Deadline: Rolling, by state
- Eligibility: US-based small businesses
Register for a free account on the Digital Ready platform, complete their short courses (a few hours), and you're eligible for the quarterly grant drawing. One of the lowest-effort, highest-return grant applications available.
Shophand Small Business Boost Grant
- Amount: $5,000
- Deadline: Three cycles per year
- Eligibility: Small businesses with tech or operational challenges
A good starting point if you've never applied for a grant before. The application is 10–15 minutes, no pitch deck required, and the turnaround is relatively fast.
AWS Activate
- Amount: Up to $100,000 in AWS credits
- Deadline: Rolling
- Eligibility: Any startup — no restrictions on stage, sector, or funding status
Not cash, but $100K in cloud credits can be the difference between burning your seed round on infrastructure and extending your runway by six months. If you're part of a recognized accelerator, you may qualify for a higher tier automatically.
Google for Startups Cloud Program
- Amount: Up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits (up to $350,000 for AI startups)
- Deadline: Rolling
- Eligibility: Seed to Series A startups
Apply through the Google for Startups website or get referred by a participating VC or accelerator.
Autodesk Foundation
- Amount: Varies (funding plus impact support)
- Deadline: Rolling
- Eligibility: Startups working on social and environmental impact, particularly in manufacturing, construction, and design technology
FedEx Small Business Grant Contest
- Amount: $50,000 grand prize plus additional $20,000 awards
- Deadline: Annual, typically spring
- Eligibility: US-based small businesses
High visibility — winners get significant media coverage beyond the grant itself.
Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Hero Program
- Amount: $20,000 grants awarded quarterly
- Deadline: Current round through May 15, 2026
- Eligibility: US-based small businesses demonstrating community impact
Grants for specific founder demographics
Several grant programs specifically target underrepresented founders. These are often less competitive than general grants because they have narrower eligibility pools.
Amber Grant for Women
- Amount: $10,000 awarded monthly, plus a $50,000 annual grand prize
- Deadline: Monthly, rolling applications
- Eligibility: Women-owned businesses in the US
Twelve chances to win per year, plus the annual bonus. The application is straightforward — share your business story and how the grant would help.
Famous Amos Ingredients for Success
- Amount: $50,000 (three winners per year)
- Deadline: June 1, 2026
- Eligibility: Black-owned businesses, at least 90% Black-owned, under five years old, owners aged 21+
Requires a pitch video and business overview.
SoGal Foundation Grants
- Amount: $5,000 to $10,000
- Eligibility: Black women and nonbinary entrepreneurs
Hidden Star Grants
- Amount: $20,000 (four phases per year)
- Eligibility: New, experienced, or aspiring women and minority entrepreneurs
Freed Fellowship
- Amount: $500 monthly (plus consideration for $2,500 year-end grant)
- Deadline: Rolling; $19 application fee
- Eligibility: US small-business owners
All applicants receive business growth feedback regardless of whether they win.
State-specific grants: your local advantage
Every US state has economic development agencies, SSBCI allocations, and local programs that most founders never find. State grants are often less competitive because they only target businesses in that state.
What is SSBCI?
The State Small Business Credit Initiative is a $10 billion federal program that distributes funding through state agencies. Each state designs its own programs — some offer direct grants, others offer loan guarantees, venture capital matching, or credit support. Florida received the largest allocation at $488M. Texas received $472M. Funds are applied for through your state's economic development office, not the federal government.
We maintain dedicated funding pages for every major startup state:
More states coming soon: Massachusetts, Colorado, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia.
How to decide which grants to apply for
Not every grant is worth your time. A $500 monthly drawing with a 1-in-10,000 chance is different from a $250K SBIR Phase I where you're competing against 200 applications.
Prioritize based on three factors:
Expected value. Grant amount multiplied by your realistic probability of winning. A $5,000 grant you have a 20% chance of getting is worth more of your time than a $50,000 grant with a 0.5% chance.
Application effort. SBIR takes 40–80 hours to apply well. The Shophand grant takes 15 minutes. If you're early-stage and time-constrained, start with the quick applications to build confidence, then tackle SBIR when you have a clearer R&D narrative.
Strategic fit. Some grants come with more than money — SBIR gives you credibility with follow-on investors, MassChallenge gives you a network, Google for Startups gives you cloud credits plus technical mentorship. Think about what your startup needs beyond cash.
Grants vs. accelerators vs. investors: when to use what
Grants work best when you need to fund R&D, build an MVP, or run a pilot without dilution. Federal grants (SBIR/STTR) are particularly strong for deep tech, biotech, and hardware startups.
Accelerators work best when you need structured mentorship, a network, and a forcing function. The best accelerators (Y Combinator, Techstars, MassChallenge) compress years of learning into months. The tradeoff is equity — typically 5–7%.
Investors work best when you have traction and need to scale fast. Venture capital is growth fuel, not building fuel. Taking VC too early means giving up more equity when your valuation is lowest.
Many founders combine all three: grants to fund the MVP, an accelerator to find product-market fit, then investors to scale. They're not mutually exclusive.
Browse the full directories: Accelerators in the US · Investors in the US
Not sure which grants fit your startup?
We track over 50 funding opportunities for US founders and update this guide monthly. But reading a list isn't the same as knowing which programs actually match your stage, sector, and goals.
Our funding concierge matches you to the opportunities most likely to fit — then helps you apply with AI-drafted answers reviewed by humans.
Get matched to the right fundingThis guide is updated monthly. Last update: May 2026. Deadlines and amounts are verified at time of publication but can change — always confirm on the program's official website before applying.
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